Gabotse

I think "gabotse" means goodbye in Sepedi. This is it, my last day in Huntsville, and I'll be leaving the United States for quite some time (bout a year and a half until my bro's wedding) on Tuesday. Next time I get on the internet I'll be an official volunteer and should know at least a good bit of a new language, so things change. I'm not sure what i will miss when I'm over there. Likely friends and family will be the big thing. Will I miss Western conviences? Listening to the sound of my own language from a native speaker? TV and movies? I suspect that the biggest adjustment will be a cultural one, I will be faced with viewpoints and perspectives that are completely different from my most basic assumptions. But who knows?

I am not nervous heading into this, I've been looking forward to it for a while and am more excited than anything else. I hope I'll be able to be a resource to people who need it and that I'm able to learn something myself and gain an invaluable experience for whatever my next step in life is. I will be posting pictures and thoughts on this blog when I get the opportunity. I'm all packed except for those inevitable "outstanding items" that I put off purchasing, or forgot until recently. I need a haircut and am dreading the inevitable sleep adjustment that I'll be going through, probably for the next full week or so. I am looking forward to meeting people from my group and the whole training experience. I hope everything goes great in the US of A while I'm gone and I hope people read of my experiences as an American in another country. Dumela (hello) South Africa!